The Great Hogwarts Hunt
by eostby
Summary: Sixteen teams will begin the Great Hogwarts Hunt, but only one can be declared the victors. An AU 7th Year story, where the Dark Lord never rose, and Slytherin doesn't mean 'dark wizard in training', starring basically Harry's entire 7th year class.
1. The Hunt Begins (Great Hall - Docks)

Author's Note: This story will likely remind you a lot of the television show The Amazing Race. Though I can't be sure that's entirely why the idea came to my mind, it's likely that it will bear more than a passing resemblance to that game. As a special treat for you, the reader, each of the clues in the Hunt will be included in the story, so if you wish to try and solve them yourselves before the characters do, simply pause in your reading when you see words in italics ( _written like this, in case you weren't sure_ ) until you are ready to see the answer (which will be written in **bold** , if FF dot net imports it properly). Good luck, enjoy, and as always, JK Rowling owns the Potterverse.

* * *

"It is my great pleasure to present to you," announced Professor Dumbledore, "the one-hundred and forty-first annual Hogwarts Hunt! We have divided the soon-to-be graduating 7th years into teams of two, generated at random by the Sorting Hat. Sixteen teams will begin the hunt, but in the end, only one can win. Those choosing to remain in the Great Hall as the contest progresses will be able to watch the teams in action through several magical projections. I warn all students not participating that attempting to influence or interfere with any of the competing teams in any way will result in no less than a loss of house points, with more severe punishments possible based on the infraction. If everyone is ready to begin, I ask the teams to please open the first clue parchment now."

Each of the teams opened their parchment envelope, and began scanning through their clue. After a moment, the team of Fay Dunbar and Michael Corner, followed closely by the team of Justin Finch-Fletchley and Wayne Hopkins, approached the Headmaster. "Sir, our parchments seem to be blank," noted Michael.

Dumbledore took a look at both parchments, cast the same spell at both of them, and put them into one of his pockets. "Ah, it seems that one of the Hunt's oldest traditions has sprung up, and rather early this year as well. You see, each leg of the Hunt carries the possibility of eliminations. On occasion, some clue parchments throughout the legs will be blank, though which ones have been left so is entirely at the whims of the Hunt Master. Many times, the Hunt Master will choose to not leave any blank, in the spirit of giving everyone the chance to finish if they so desire. Some times, they will leave most of the clues blank, so that only the prodigiously lucky can claim the victory. Though this is the first time I can remember that blanks were introduced to the very first leg of the hunt, there is no doubt in my mind what this means: we have already lost two teams from the event."

The dismay on the faces of the four eliminated students was evident. However, their disappointment was quickly forgotten by most of the other students, as the first few teams worked out their clue and dashed from the Great Hall, followed closely by many of the rest. The last team out of the hall was Lisa Turpin and Gregory Goyle, nearly three minutes behind the leaders, due entirely to Goyle's insistence on packing as much food as he could carry into a bag in case he got hungry during the Hunt. Lisa finally dragged him away from the food and out into the school.

 _Clue #1: "Orsber bar pna svaq gur raq, gurl zhfg svefg svaq gur ortvaavat. Uvag: Gur ivrj vf zhpu avpre ng avtug guna va qnlyvtug."_

It had taken Hermione Granger only a few moments to recognize the first clue for what it was: a simple substitution cipher. It had been covered in the Muggle Studies course Hermione had taken back in 3rd year, but it was her keen interest in mystery novels that clued Hermione into what the meaning of the seeming gibberish was. When translated properly, it spelled out " **Before one can find the end, they must first find the beginning. Hint: The view is much nicer at night than in daylight**."

Looking over Hermione's shoulder as she solved the cipher, Ron Weasley's eyebrows rose almost into his hairline. A quick prod of Hermione's shoulder, a quiet mouthing of the word "Boats", and the pair ran out of the Great Hall towards the location of the second clue, in the lead by only a few steps in front of Padma Patil and Sally-Anne Perks, with Blaise Zabini and Mandy Brocklehurst not much farther behind.

"You know, the clue was right, it does look a lot better at night when crossing in the boats," mused Ron as he and Hermione arrived at the docks on the Black Lake.


	2. Make a Splash (Docks - Merfolk Village)

Author's Note: Welcome back to the Hunt! As a reminder, any clues the teams face in the story are also going to be present for you the reader to try and solve as well (remember: _clues_ , **solutions** ), and if something seems wonky, let me know, and I'll see if I can make it clearer. As always, JK owns the Potterverse.

* * *

Having been interning for her aunt in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement over the summer, Susan Bones could certainly solve a cipher when she recognized one. It just took her a little longer to realize it than Hermione did, that's all. Nothing to be ashamed about, being beaten by the brightest witch of their age, as she'd often heard Hermione called. A quick squeeze of her shoulder by her teammate Megan Jones suggested that Susan's thinking had made itself very clear on her face, and she knew that it was far too early in the competition to worry about not being first.

"Sorry, Meg, I just keep thinking that I could have figured it out faster. It's silly, I know, but it bothers me," admitted Susan as the pair ran for the docks.

"No worries," replied Megan. "First leg and we're not last, we're doing just fine."

Susan smiled, knowing that her easygoing partner wouldn't be troubled by much of anything. She was fortunate to get paired with someone friendly, though she supposed she could have gotten along with just about anyone she'd been paired with. She could hear Seamus and Draco bickering behind her, and thanked Merlin she hadn't gotten stuck with either of them as a partner. Draco was certainly intelligent when he wanted to be, but was rather full of himself, and a knut would get you a galleon that Seamus would have spent most of the hunt trying to get into her knickers, given what she'd heard about him for the last few years. While she hadn't gotten paired with her best friend Hannah Abbott (who she knew was only about 50 meters back with her teammate Theodore Nott) as some people had had the good fortune to do (and wasn't it ironic she was thinking of Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass as that team sped by), she was quite happy to have gotten Megan as a partner, and hoped they would do very well.

Farther back in the pack, Anthony Goldstein was also considering his fortunes, and wondered who exactly he must have offended to be stuck with Ernie MacMillan as a partner. Certainly Ernie was a competent wizard, but his pomposity was rather grating, and the fact that he had solved the cipher before Anthony would bother the Ravenclaw for longer than he would likely admit to. If it wasn't for him, Ernie wouldn't have even known that they were looking at a code and not some ancient language. Pushing that unhelpful thought out of his mind as he ran, Anthony tried to focus on the boat dock ahead.

Having arrived at the dock a few moments behind Susan and Megan, Terry Boot and Su Li discovered that they were right in the middle of the pack, approximately 6th if Terry's guess was accurate. Sitting on the shore were 10 of the boats normally used for the first year ride across the Lake. Susan and Megan were just climbing into one as Su pulled another envelope from a box standing on the dock.

 _Clue #2: "Do the Headmaster a favor and go visit his friend the Chief. Make sure you bring enough to share, or your visit will end abruptly."_

"Enough to share?" questioned Su. "What does it mean, enough to share? Share what?"

Terry looked around, and noticed that the greenhouse closest to the Lake had its door standing ajar. "I'm not completely sure yet, but I bet our answer is in there," said Terry, indicating the open door. He and Su jogged over, and inside found a large tank filled with a slimy-looking plant, labeled **"Gillyweed"**.

Out on the Lake, Padma Patil and Sally-Anne Perks glided along the water in their boat, nearing the location of the Merfolk village. Sally-Anne separated the Gillyweed they'd brought along into three portions, and handed Padma one. At a questioning glance, she explained, "It's not the most common knowledge, but Gillyweed is a bit of a delicacy for Merfolk. The clue said 'bring enough to share', but it didn't say how many would be sharing it. I think we're intended to bring the Merchief a portion as well."

Padma considered Sally-Anne's conclusion for a moment, figuring that even if they didn't need the additional portion for the Chief, it was sound logic regardless, and began consuming her portion as their boat slowed to a stop next to another boat already floating above the village. Feeling the gills suddenly appear on their necks, Padma and Sally-Anne dove for the water, with their next destination (and hopefully their next clue) directly below them.


	3. Chill Out (Merfolk Village - Hogsmeade)

Author's Note: Less of a full note and more of a quick reminder that the _clues_ and (at least partial) **solutions** are noted for those who wish to test their own wits against those of the characters. As always, I make no claims to the Potterverse, I just play in JK's sandbox.

* * *

Blaise Zabini did not believe in coincidences. He also did not believe in luck, serendipity, or any other such nonsense. What he did believe in was knowing as much as possible about everything, so that he would not enter situations unprepared. If he understood nothing else from his mother's lifestyle, that lesson would serve him well enough to get by for the rest of his life. So when he was paired with Mandy Brocklehurst, he checked his file of information on the girl, noted no obvious incompatibilities between them, and pronounced himself satisfied with the assignment.

When the first clue was revealed, Blaise recognized the cipher pattern immediately, and only his insistence on writing out the full answer in his meticulous handwriting kept them from being the first team out of the Great Hall. With Mandy rather content to follow his lead, Blaise took a less-straightforward path towards the docks, hoping that throwing off everyone's sense of where they were would make up for liberally using secret passages to arrive at their destination. The path was not in any way less time consuming than the main path through the school, but it offered a clearer look across the grounds to see how the rest of the field was moving.

Arriving at the docks, Blaise opened the clue, and noted as much as possible about how it was worded and emphasized. Sparing a glance at the nearby greenhouse, he issued Mandy clear and easy to understand instructions. "There will be Gillyweed inside there. Get three portions: one for you, one for myself, and one for the Merchief. If anyone enters and questions you, say nothing. Go." As Mandy ran for the greenhouse, Blaise noted that 12 boats still remained, and that Padma and Sally-Anne were still visible ahead of them, so they were firmly third at the moment, with a very good chance of making a move into second. A glance back up towards the castle, and Blaise allowed himself a moment to relax, seeing that the remaining teams would likely not make the docks before he and Mandy were away. He helped a returning Mandy into a boat, and made no sign that he recognized anyone else reaching the docks, save for a casual wave in the direction of Daphne and Tracy as they set sail a minute later.

Blaise observed Padma and Sally-Anne's boat slowing to a stop above the Merfolk village, and the girls preparing to dive. "Begin eating your Gillyweed now, and as soon as you feel the gills, head directly down under the boats. If we time it right, we should be able to swim past them. Once we encounter the Merchief, I will handle the meeting. Make no sudden movements, and everything will go smoothly."

Hearing no protests, Blaise consumed his own portion, and as he dove into the Lake, he could sense Mandy following him. All according to plan. As was their pass of a somewhat surprised Padma and Sally-Anne. That particular coup allowed them to reach the Merchief just as Granger and Weasley swam away from his seat in the center of the village. "Your friend the Headmaster sends his greetings with us, as well as this token of appreciation," said Blaise in flawless Mermish as he presented the third portion of Gillyweed to the Merchief. The Merchief looked rather impressed, and after handing Blaise a box that contained the next clue, he also handed over a shark tooth necklace as a sign of friendship between the village and the Zabini family. Blaise bowed his thanks, and he and Mandy returned to their boat.

"You did well," said Blaise as he cast a quick drying charm on both of them. "Open the box, and if it begins screeching, cast an Aguamenti into it." As Blaise had suspected, the next clue was sung in Mermish.

 _Clue #3: "From visiting our watery lair, you now return to breathe the air, your next task rather far from here, but once you're there it will be clear, for down the path the site you seek, that makes quite many very meek, a simple spell you'll need to cast, if you desire to not be last."_

Blaise wrote the clue onto some spare parchment so that Mandy would not have to keep the Aguamenti going for too long. When the boat touched the far shore of the lake, Blaise helped Mandy out of the boat. "Do you need any sort of sustenance to boost your magic?" he asked, offering a granola bar from inside of the pack he had brought along. Grateful for the snack (as she was starting to feel a bit peckish), Mandy took the package and began munching as Blaise led her towards Hogsmeade. Eventually, Mandy did recognize where they were headed, and swallowed the last bit of granola before asking her question. "We're clearly headed to the village, but is there a specific place we need to go? I'm afraid that song twisted my brain into knots."

Glancing around to make sure no other teams were nearby, Blaise chuckled. "As for the where, there is only one place I know of around Hogwarts that students can easily get to that meets the description of a site that is sought, despite inducing fear in those who see it. As to what we do when we get there, that I do not yet know, though I expect that having your wand at the ready might be wise." Mandy pulled her wand from her sleeve, but realized that Blaise had not fully answered her question. "So, what place did you mean?"

Blaise pointed down the path that he had been leading them on. "The best known haunted house in Britain; **the Shrieking Shack**."

Meanwhile, back in the Merfolk Village, the team of Seamus Finnigan and Draco Malfoy had just arrived to the Merchief's throne. The Merchief stared at the pair for a moment, and when he made no move to do anything, Draco thrust out his hand in expectation of receiving the next clue. The Merchief stared at Draco's hand for a moment, before turning towards Seamus. He glanced at his teammate, who indicated his own outstretched hand, which Seamus took to mean that he too should put his hand out for the clue. The Merchief reached behind his throne, and grabbed a rock with some carvings on one side. He laid it carefully on the hands of both boys, who suddenly felt a sensation of a hook behind their navels. As they disappeared, the Merchief shook his head in disappointment.

The Portkey deposited Seamus and Draco in the middle of the Great Hall. "It seems as though neither of you paid enough attention in Care of Magical Creatures this year," announced Professor Dumbledore, loud enough for the entire Hall to hear. "For if you had, you would know that meeting with the leader of any sentient magical species and not bringing along some sort of gift is incredibly rude. I do not believe I need to explain to you that you are now out of the Hunt."

The boys shot each other looks of great disgust before returning to their house tables. All across the Hall, small sums of money began changing hands as one of the dark horse contenders fell from the Hunt. It would not be the last time money changed hands on the day, nor would it be the last time a supposed frontrunner would be eliminated early. For not 10 minutes after Seamus and Draco were Portkeyed in did the team of Anthony and Ernie appear in the Great Hall. Once their elimination had been explained, the Ravenclaw jumped his Hufflepuff teammate and began smacking him upside the head, berating him for his arrogance costing them the competition. Quite a few bags of money were exchanged during and after the fight, including one between Seamus and Draco. When more than a few people stared at him collecting his winnings, Seamus was heard to say, "If you'd heard how the two o' them were carrying on, you'd bet on a fight happening before the day was over too. Easy money." His statement was met with shrugs as people returned to watching the Hunt play out.


	4. Get a Clue (Shrieking Shack - Grounds)

Author's Note: Starting with this chapter, we're getting a bit of a rating bump. I don't expect this story to get terribly explicit, but I will probably try to write a little bit of romance into some of the teams, and the first one of those pops up here. As has been true so far, for those playing along at home, _clues_ and **solutions** are marked. And if any of you reading have ideas on challenges you might like to see or particular teams you'd like to see more of (I'm pretty sure I've revealed all of the teams left in the Hunt), just let me know by review. As always, JK owns the Potterverse.

* * *

As they ran towards the Shrieking Shack, Harry and Lavender knew they were much closer to the back of the pack than near the lead. It was to their great surprise to find every team they knew to be in front of them (and one or two they didn't) to all be wandering around the Shack, casting all manner of spells and generally looking frustrated. Hermione wandered over from where she and Ron had been consulting with Sally-Anne, Padma, Mandy, and Blaise. "Hello Harry, Lavender. It seems they've set a very good challenge for this one, since the lot of us haven't got the first idea of what's going on here. And before you ask, everyone has tried an Alohomora on the front door, and it's still firmly closed. Good luck."

When Hermione moved to greet the next two teams arriving (Neville and Vincent Crabbe coming in just a couple steps in front of Dean and Millicent Bulstrode), Harry and Lavender exchanged quizzical looks. Sharing a shrug, they resolved to do a loop of the Shack and see if any ideas came to them. They passed by Su and Terry doing the same in the opposite direction, and Lavender checked in with Parvati and Pansy to see if they'd come up with anything. Her frown as she returned to Harry's side told him all he needed to know about that discussion. Returning to the front of the Shack as Lisa and Gregory Goyle finally made it to the area, there was something about the house that was bothering Harry, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After giving the newest arrivals a chance to figure out the challenge, word passed that every team was to meet up in front for an announcement. Once all the participants had gathered, Hermione stepped up on a stump so that she could be seen and heard by the teams. "All right, I think it's clear that we're not making any progress here, and it's getting rather close to lunchtime." Her speech was interrupted by several loud growls from around the group, generating a few chuckles. "Therefore, I propose we take an official Halt for lunch, and return here afterwards. Any objections?" Hearing none, she stepped off the stump and began leading the way to the Three Broomsticks.

As had been explained to all of the teams at the selection ceremony, anyone participating in the Hunt could call for a Halt to the proceedings. It needed to be unanimously approved by the remaining teams, and could only be called when all of the remaining teams were in the same location. Once called, no team could work on the current clue for a period of no less than half an hour. There had been times that Halts had lasted for multiple hours, so that teams could sleep rather than trying to keep working late into the night, but those were rare occasions. Importantly, the Halt did not begin until every team had left the designated clue area (the area was magically marked, so every team knew where it began).

Just as his teammate was about to leave the area, Harry realized what had been bothering him about the Shack. He quickly grabbed Lavender lightly by the shoulder to make sure she didn't leave yet. As she made to protest, Harry held up a finger in a clear shushing gesture. Waiting just long enough for everyone to get out of earshot, he whispered, "I know where our next clue is." Immediately, Lavender got quiet and nodded for Harry to continue.

"When we got to the Shack, something bothered me about how it looked, but it wasn't until now that I realized what that was. Have you ever seen a window open here before, Lavender?" As she shook her head, Harry pointed at a window on the second floor of the building. "Then why is there one open right now? Of course, that's only half the problem, isn't it? Sure, the window is open, but how do we get a clue from that? I have a hunch. What's the first thing you ever did with magic?"

Lavender thought for a moment. "Well, the first charm we ever performed was Wingardium Leviosa, but I don't see how floating a feather up to the window will help."

Even as she was finishing her thought, Harry was shaking his head. "I don't mean what spell you cast first, I mean what magic did you use first? If you're like most of the people I've heard, your first accidental magic was probably you getting something that was just out of reach or very far away, right?" Lavender nodded slowly, but it was clear she didn't get it just yet. "So, before you knew any spells, before you really knew what you were doing with your magic, you simply summoned things, didn't you?" As Lavender's eyes lit up, Harry turned and pointed his wand at the open window and thought in his head "Accio clue." Mere seconds later, a parchment envelope zoomed out of the window and into Harry's outstretched hand. Lavender squealed with delight and hugged Harry as he tucked the envelope into a pocket for later.

"So, to lunch, milady?" said Harry with a grin, offering his arm. "Delighted, kind sir," replied Lavender, taking the offered arm and walking to the Three Broomsticks.

Lunch was a rather casual affair for the Hunt participants, the teams mixing and sitting mostly by friend group, since no one was particularly concerned about getting a leg up on a challenge they had all struggled with. Harry and Lavender were a bit quieter about ideas than all of the rest, but no one seemed to notice, given that food was a primary focus for all of them. Once everyone's hunger had been sated, the teams all walked back to the Shrieking Shack together. "On my count, then? 3, 2, 1, let the Hunt begin again!" shouted Hermione as the last team reentered the grounds of the Shack. Immediately, Harry and Lavender snuck back up the road away from the Shack to open their next clue.

 _Clue #4: From one of the most notorious buildings, you now seek one of the least. From a house said to be full of spooks and danger, you now seek one full of Fang and flame. Keeping your wits about you will be the Key._

As Harry read more and more of the clue, the smile on his face got wider. Comparatively, Lavender grew more and more fearful. They both finished reading at the same time, Harry with a laugh, and Lavender with a shriek. Lavender buried her face in Harry's shoulder as he tried to calm her down.

"Lavender, what's wrong? This is probably the easiest clue we've had all day!" said Harry jovially. "But it sounds so dangerous, Harry!" cried Lavender. "Fang and flame? A building not well known? It sounds like we're walking into a death trap, or some sort of dragon's lair, or…"

Reflecting back years later, Harry still wasn't sure why he reacted to Lavender's hysteria as he did, but he certainly didn't regret his choice to try and calm Lavender then with a kiss. Lavender's brain immediately shifted from thinking of all of the worst case scenarios to what the clue could mean to the sudden realization that "Sweet Merlin, I'm kissing Harry Potter!" That thought calmed her down enough that when Harry broke the kiss a moment later, Lavender tried to go back for more. Harry put a finger to her lips, though. "We'll come back to that later, trust me. But why would you be worried about where we're going?"

At Lavender's blank look, Harry tucked his hand into hers and began leading her back towards Hogwarts. "Lav, don't forget, you're with me, defeater of Dark Lords, slayer of famed beasts, and champion of the Triwizard Tournament. When I say you'll be fine, you can believe me, can't you?" Noting that Lavender looked only slightly more reassured, though she did giggle at his 'slayer of famed beasts' line, Harry finally solved the mystery for her.

"The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is getting slobbered on by a big, friendly dog, and that's only if Fang's not busy doing something else when we get to **Hagrid's Hut**."


	5. Breather (Hagrid's Hut - Pitch)

Author's Note: You should know by now that _clues_ and **solutions** for each leg of the Hunt are provided for you in the story, but in case you just now decided to read these, there's your reminder for the chapter. Also, a quick warning: I attempted to replicate Hagrid's accent in the books for his appearance in this chapter. It's only one paragraph, and I think it turned out all right, but if it bothers you, just skip from "A moment later, Hagrid answered" straight to Clue #5. As always, I make no claims to the Potterverse, I just enjoy playing in JK's sandbox.

* * *

It had been almost half and hour since Hermione had ended the Halt, and already Ron had noticed a few teams had drifted away from the Shrieking Shack. First Harry and Lavender, then Blaise and Mandy, and, having just looked around, it seemed Hannah and Theo had figured it out as well, as they were no longer nearby. What they had seen, Ron still wasn't sure, but it was beginning to frustrate him. As he and Hermione made yet another loop around the house, still utterly clueless, Ron feared that they might never figure it out.

As he looked towards the house, trying to have something brilliant enter his brain, something brilliant entered his eye instead. "Blimey!" shouted Ron. "That reflection bloody hurts!" As Hermione looked to where Ron was pointing, she noticed the reflection was coming off an open window she had failed to notice in every single prior trip around the house. "Ron, that's it! You've done it!" she cheered. "Accio clue!"

As she finished her spell, Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. In her excitement at finally solving the puzzle, the idea of silent casting completely slipped her mind. As such, every other team still at the Shack heard her cast, and was alerted to the answer right in front of them. Thus, as Ron and Hermione read their clue and ran for Hagrid's, they heard eight voices cry in unison "Accio clue!"

A few minutes ahead of Ron and Hermione, Hannah and Theo arrived at the home of Hogwarts' Gamekeeper. Seeing no other signs around, Hannah walked over to the door and knocked politely. A moment later, Hagrid answered.

"Oh, yeh must be on the Hunt. Third team so far, good on yeh. I'm s'pose to give yeh some kind o' test or summat, but yeh've caught me cooking, so I'll jes' give yeh this." He stuck a clue envelope out the door, which Hannah accepted with a thank you. She brought the clue over to Theo, who read it aloud, seeing no other team in sight.

 _Clue #5: "Of land, sea, and sky, prepare to meet the one you've yet to traverse. You should try to arrive QUIckly, lest your Dilly-DallyIng Take away any Chance you have to complete the Hunt."_

At first, Hannah was confused. The clue, as Theo read it, didn't seem to offer anything concrete about the next leg of the Hunt, other than pointing to their task having something to do with being in the air. Thoughts started whirling through Hannah's mind: the Astronomy Tower, the Owlery, maybe Ravenclaw's common room (she had heard it referred to more than once as the Aerie), somewhere over the grounds, possibly as far away as the nearby mountains, though she found the last unlikely. As she started listing off these possibilities out loud to Theo, he simply shook his head at each suggestion without offering a reason against them.

When Hannah's face began to get very red, suggesting that an outburst wasn't far away, Theo finally just handed the clue over to Hannah and said, "While I'm sure all of those are reasonable ideas, we're going to the **Quidditch Pitch** , because I doubt whoever wrote these clues is fool enough to not comprehend proper capitalization." As her eyes quickly danced over the parchment to confirm that Theo was right, he began slowly jogging towards the Stadium. As Hannah looked up from the clue to upbraid Theo for not just showing her the words in the first place, she noticed he had already departed. Though she longed to hex him for that, she resolved to wait until after the Hunt was over. The best revenge was the one you had planned and prepared carefully, after all, she thought as she chased after her teammate.


	6. Hold Tight (Quidditch Pitch - Classroom)

Author's Note #1: The usual reminders first, _clues_ and **solutions** for each leg are part of the story, so that readers may play along if they wish. As always, JK owns the Potterverse. Finally, in new business, this is the first of two notes for this chapter, so please do look for the one following the story, as it will give you a chance to influence what's coming up.

* * *

The gaggle of teams trailing Ron and Hermione weren't quite as lucky as Hannah and Theo, as Hagrid's cooking became their next task. Though it wasn't the most physical of challenges, even Goyle had some trouble attempting to eat one of Hagrid's infamous rock cakes. Nonetheless, every team was able to accomplish their task, and soon found themselves coming to the same conclusion as Theo: get to the Quidditch Pitch.

When they arrived, the teams saw a number of Quaffles hovering over the pitch, as well as a few scorch marks on the north end goalposts. Lying on the pitch were 8 brooms, one for each remaining team. Tied to each broom was a small scroll. When unrolled, it gave instructions for the task.

"As you can see, your flying skills will be put to the test. However, not everything else is as it seems. Many of the Quaffles floating around are fakes. The real ones contain your next clue. The only way to find out is to test your skill on the north goal posts, one shot at a time. If the Quaffle you shoot is real, a successful goal will produce a parchment envelope. The fakes will produce a much different response. Also, there are a limited number of real Quaffles, so you'd better hurry, as the last team still shooting will be eliminated.

Ta-ta for now, The Huntmaster"

Millicent knew she was not particularly skilled on a broom, and was thanking Merlin that she'd been paired with an honest-to-goodness Quidditch player. She passed their team's broom over to Dean, who was already scanning the floating Quaffles to see if he could spot anything unusual about any of them as he mounted the broom. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and whispered "For luck." With a goofy grin on his face, Dean took off like a shot, immediately grabbing and shooting a Quaffle from midfield. When it exploded in the goal hoop, he swooped down to grab another and got a second shot in before any other team had even left the ground. This one turned into an envelope as it passed through the goal, and Dean zoomed down the pitch to snatch the clue before it had hit the ground. Holding it above his head in triumph, he returned to Millicent and gave her a full-on snog while still seated on the broom. Regretfully, Dean broke the kiss and opened the envelope he'd caught.

 _Clue #6: "You've had your fun out on the grounds, but now it's time to come inside and get serious. No foolish wand-waving will be required. Fame, glory, and perhaps even luck awaits you."_

Dean frowned. Something about this clue sounded very familiar, but he couldn't quite place where it was from. Millicent also appeared to be deep in thought, but she suddenly brightened. "I think I know where we need to go, but I'd rather not say just yet. Think you can give me a ride up to the castle?" Millicent asked with just a hint of a challenge in her voice.

Dean took the opportunity to blatantly check out his teammate, who'd grown very nicely into her larger figure if he did say so himself. "I think I've got room for another. But you should feel honored; not every girl gets the opportunity to take this ride," he said, scooting forward to make room on the broomstick.

Millicent seated herself directly behind him, arms firmly around his waist. "An honour and a pleasure, good sir. And I hope for my sake that this isn't the last time, either," she whispered into his ear as they took off for the front door. As they re-entered the castle, Millicent directed Dean where to fly, as there was no rule saying they had couldn't use items provided during the Hunt for future tasks. After a quick buzz through the corridor officially designated for staff offices and seeing no one in sight, Millicent finally voiced her suspicions to Dean. "I didn't really believe they'd send us to his office, but it never hurts to check, especially since we passed the last task quickly enough and had the time," she said. "Considering the clue was rather heavily hinting at the speech Professor Snape gave all of us in first year, there doesn't seem to be any other place to go than the **Potions classroom**." As they landed outside the dungeon classroom, they saw four teams working busily on their next task, and shared a grin, knowing that they were now in a very good position for the rest of the Hunt.

Back out on the Quidditch Pitch, the remaining teams kept firing off Quaffles in search of their clue, only to see that many of the fakes replaced themselves after a while to keep the teams guessing. However, as each successive team finally found a clue ball, the fakes slowed their replacement down, until finally only three teams remained. As the designated flyer for each team grabbed their next Quaffle, the hovering supply disappeared, leaving only the three currently being held. From the commentator's box, a heretofore-unseen robed figure turned on the microphone usually used to announce matches. "ALL CLUE BALLS HAVE NOW BEEN PICKED UP. ANY TEAM WHO DOES NOT RECEIVE A CLUE FROM THEIR NEXT GOAL IS ELIMINATED FROM THE HUNT, AND MUST IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO THE GREAT HALL." The announcement having been made, the figure disappeared from sight.

In the air, Terry, Megan, and Goyle all stared at each other, and the bright red ball each one of them held. "All together, then?" suggested Megan. The two boys glanced at each other, and nodded to Megan. "Terry, you take left; Greg, you take right; and I'll shoot for the center. Good luck." As their teammates watched from the ground, each flyer got into position, and on Terry's count of three, they took their shots, each hoping to see a clue come out from their hoop.

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A/N #2: The fate of three teams hangs in the balance. A poll will be appearing on my author profile around the time this chapter is posted. The poll question is simple: who do you want to stay in the Hunt? At least one team will move on, and at least one team will be eliminated. The poll will close no earlier than October 31st, 2015, but could close at any time following that date. Once the poll has closed, the results will be incorporated into the next chapter.


	7. Strong Brew (Potions - A Tower)

A/N: A quick reminder as always for those playing along, _clues_ and **solutions** are marked for your convenience. I admit to being slightly disappointed in the amount of votes cast to determine who would make it to this chapter, but I am grateful that someone did actually take the time to cast their ballot, and I thank them for doing so. As always, the Potterverse is JK's creation, I'm just doing my part to expand upon it further.

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As Severus Snape observed the remaining teams busily working on their potions, he noted that his Slytherins were very well represented in the room. Indeed, of the first eight pairs through his door, only two claimed no affiliation with his house: the all-Gryffindor pairs of Potter and Brown and Granger and Weasley. Miss Parkinson and the Gryffindor Patil had arrived just in front of her Ravenclaw sister and Miss Perks, and there remained only one other Slytherin pairing unaccounted for, as he had seen his godson's spectacular flameout a few tasks earlier before departing the Great Hall to prepare his portion of the Hunt.

He heard footfalls in the distance, more than two sets if his hearing was still as good as he believed it to be. As Misses Bones and Jones entered the Potions classroom and began settling in, Snape continued to focus on the door, waiting to see just whom the other set of fast-approaching footfalls might belong to.

Having never been spectacular in Potions, Neville Longbottom found himself rather glad that he had been paired with a Slytherin for this task. Though Vincent Crabbe was by no means a spectacular brewer himself, he was also not the completely thick idiot that many outside of his House assumed him to be. Thus, when he saw that they were to complete the Wolfsbane Potion to receive their next clue, he took charge of the situation. "This potion is very easy to screw up, and I doubt that needing to brew it multiple times is something we can afford if we want to win this thing, Nev. So, to make sure the least amount possible can go wrong, I want you to read each instruction out loud, and watch me complete them. If you see something that looks wrong, say something before we put the ingredients into the cauldron. Agreed?" Neville nodded, and watched Crabbe begin brewing.

He had already saved the potion once when the arrival of Susan and Megan caused just enough of a distraction that Crabbe almost added an extra measure of the namesake ingredient far earlier than it needed to be. He got a grateful nod from his partner, and another from a passing Professor Snape, who knew exactly the result of that particular error, having done so on his own a few years prior, and still had the burn marks on his chest to prove it. Neville noticed that the Professor was watching the door, and the faint footsteps growing louder outside drew his attention as well.

The arrival of Terry Boot and Su Li drew the attention of everyone else in the room. More accurately, closing the door behind themselves as they arrived drew attention, as it signaled no one would be following them in. As the eleventh team took their seats at a cauldron, the first and second place teams entered the final stages of their brewing. Carefully bottling their samples, Lavender and Mandy each held up a vial for Professor's Snape's inspection. He noted the color, made sure that both cauldrons gave off the correct amount of smoke, and pronounced both samples "acceptable." He corked the vials and placed them on his desk, returning with parchment envelopes that he presented to each pair.

 _Clue #7: From the deepest dungeon, you now seek the highest heights Hogwarts has. Though some houses believe themselves to be at the top, there is a class above._

A questioning glance from Mandy was met with a nod by Blaise; he already had a very good idea of where their next clue was located. Since Professor Snape's instructions included a note that any acceptable concoctions would be saved for further use, Blaise simply cleaned the few spots of their table that had been dirtied during potion making and began leading Mandy on a winding path through the castle.

Once Blaise was quite sure that Potter and Brown weren't following them (an unlikely circumstance regardless, but taking no chances was the modus operandi of the Zabini family), he took a more direct path towards the only one of Hogwarts' towers that satisfied the clue. Bypassing the House towers of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, as well as the landing that led into the Divination classroom (higher in the castle than most other class areas, but not the highest, and not confined to its own tower), eventually the pair arrived first to see a splendid view of the sun beginning to set behind the Forbidden Forest. Blaise allowed himself and Mandy a moment to appreciate the natural beauty, before striding across to where Professor Sinistra sat.

"Welcome," she said, "to the **Astronomy Tower**."


	8. Penultimate (Astronomy - C&G)

**A/N: Apologies on how long this chapter took, but it is finally here. There will likely be 1 or 2 more chapters after this one, as my muse for this story is reaching its end. As of the last chapter, this has officially become my longest story ever, which I'm rather proud of. A quick reminder, as it will become important over the next chapter or so: this is not a canon story, so some things that happened in canon did not happen in this universe. This is the first chapter where there will be no overt clues and answers appear, so that reminder will not appear. As always, though, the Potterverse belongs to JK Rowling; I merely play in her sandbox.**

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Having arrived to the Tower only a minute or so after Blaise and Mandy, Harry and Lavender were well aware that they were in a very close 2nd place, with who knew how much of the Hunt left. A quick glance around the Potions room as they departed confirmed to Harry that teams were being eliminated left and right, so being within sight of the lead was about as safe as one could possibly be. Seeing Professor Sinistra directing Lavender and himself to join the frontrunners at a table set for dinner was rather surprising, however. It seemed as though provisions had been made for their evening meal, given how late the Hunt was stretching. A pair of house elves popped in and took the order of each team.

The dinner conversation was light and pleasant, but mostly took place between Lavender and Mandy. Harry would occasionally contribute a few comments to his partner's inquiries (they hadn't had time to decide what if any relationship they would pursue following Harry's impulsive kiss earlier, though Harry was already warming to the idea of Lavender as his girlfriend, if she would have him), but Blaise sat nearly silent throughout. It made things mildly awkward, but not overly so, and soon the two lead teams had finished their meals. Behind them, Hannah and Theo were talking with Ron and Hermione, and at a table further back, Daphne and Tracy were being seated with Dean and Millicent. Other tables were also set up, but not currently in use.

Professor Sinistra returned to the table the leading teams shared. "There were plans in place for you to have a task set in this tower, but the Huntmaster has decided that this year's even is already stretching much longer than planned, so you will instead head immediately to the room known for its comings and goings for the final task in this year's Hunt. Best of luck to you." She began moving from table to table, passing along the message.

Harry knew immediately where they were supposed to be going, but wondered why Sinistra had been so circumspect about the Room. As he stood from the table, he noticed that neither Blaise nor Mandy seemed to have any clue about where to go. Perhaps their lack of task was not as complete as Harry had assumed. He exchanged a glance with Lavender, who shrugged as she followed him out.

As members of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts study group, he and Lavender knew exactly where the Come-And-Go Room was and how to enter it. Though the group was primarily Gryffindors, there had been a few non-Lions who had been invited to study with them as well. However, it was thanks to Harry's friendship with an odd house elf named Dobby that he had even heard of the Come-And-Go Room. Supposedly, the room was a quiet, if open, secret in the castle, and only the house elves who worked at Hogwarts knew that the room was a permanent fixture, rather than just a study room, or a broom closet, or a room full of chamber pots, or a room where things could be hidden.

Lavender had also been considering why neither Blaise nor Mandy seemed to know about the Room. "Harry, what do you think the chances are that some of the teams may have never been to the C and G?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't have considered that to be very likely, but I know I never told Blaise or Mandy about it, and I don't know that either of them has met Dobby. Maybe some people still haven't found it?"

He and Lavender continued considering the idea as they approached an already open door in a corridor usually known for being a blank wall. A person in a dark robe with their hood pulled over their head greeted them. "Welcome, I am the Huntmaster. Please, take a seat. As the first team has now arrived, I shall begin the countdown timer. When the time has ended, any teams who are present will complete the Final Task. Those who have not arrived will not be allowed in."

Exactly 60 minutes later, the door to the Room slammed shut.


	9. Crown and Court (Come and Go Room)

**A/N: After much frustration, much contemplation, and one final rush of inspiration, I present to you the final chapter of The Great Hogwarts Hunt. I hope that any and all of you who have been following from the beginning enjoy it, and that those who find it later do the same. As always, the Potterverse belongs to JK Rowling; I merely rejoice at getting to play with it every now and then.**

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About 10 minutes after the Room shut, Susan Bones and Megan Jones ran to where they knew the Come-And-Go Room should be. After pacing in front of the wall three times, a metal door with no visible handle appeared with a note attached to it.

"My great apologies to whomever may be reading this note, but it seems you did not make enough haste to this location. You have missed the final cutoff, and have been eliminated. Please return to the Great Hall at this time.

Signed, the Huntmaster"

A thoroughly disappointed Susan and Megan slumped against the wall for a moment. The metal door slowly faded back into the wall, though the attached note fell off the door before it disappeared entirely. Seeing nothing else for it, Megan picked up the parchment and shuffled back to the Great Hall along with Susan, where the rest of the school watched the Final Task already underway.

Meanwhile, inside the Come-And-Go Room, the seven remaining teams had already begun work on their final task, a presentation to be made in front of their peers, the Huntmaster (who would reveal his identity once a winner was chosen, as per Hunt tradition), and a few distinguished guests from the British Ministry of Magic, including Minister Amelia Bones, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Kingsley Shacklebolt, Algernon Croaker from the Department of Mysteries, and Arthur Weasley from the recently created Department of Non-Magical Cooperation. The presentation each team would be making was on the topic of how best to reveal the existence of the magical world to their non-magical counterparts, a task the Department of Non-Magical Cooperation had already made its primary mission.

Harry and Lavender advocated for small integrations, slowly blending the magic and non-magic worlds until enough people were aware and accepting that the existence of magic could be accepted as a fait accompli. Their plan was well-thought out, but was unfortunately light on details. Nevertheless, it was applauded when completed.

Hannah and Theodore were next, and their idea was to simply step out into the open as soon as possible. Their logic was that non-magical folk already had a good idea of what magic was like based on popular literature and movies, and so they would have mostly excited reactions to learning that some of the things they believed to be impossible were in fact true. The approach was deemed "bold, but potentially intriguing" and was also applauded.

The third presentation, that of Ron and Hermione, went a long way towards extolling many different ways the cultural merge could work, but ultimately could not decide on which one would be best. The panel, while suitably impressed by the amount of work done and ideas presented, looked mildly disappointed that no clear best was identified. The now obligatory applause followed, but was noticeably muted.

Following them, the team of Dean and Millicent presented a throughly novel idea to most of the panel: begin by integrating students at young ages, so that by the time those groups reached adulthood, the idea of magical and non-magical learning more about the world together was simply the way things were done. It would likely mean the closing of some of the older, traditional schools like Hogwarts, but would be much easier than trying to force adults to work together from the start. A stunned silence greeted the end of their idea, before raucous cheers and applause were heard from the assembled.

The fifth team, that of Daphne and Tracy, simply could not conceive of the idea being undertaken at the present time, and were rather apologetic in saying that they had no solution. Minister Bones walked up to the girls, thanked them for doing their best anyway, and told them there was no shame in not being able to present an answer for the improbable task they had been given. After all, that was why the Department asking for their help had been created in the first place.

The penultimate presentation, that of Neville and Vincent Crabbe, made liberal use of large sheets of parchment, and was distinctly heard to mention the phrase "plant-based economy", but beyond that was utterly incomprehensible to everyone but the presenters. There was some scattered applause when they finished talking, but most simply blinked slowly until their higher brain functions had been restored.

Finally, Padma and Sally-Anne presented an idea quite similar to that of Dean and Millicent, but with a slightly different beginning point: that of post-Hogwarts students, where they would take courses at University and make in-roads there. It was noted that the idea was somewhat self-serving, as both girls had already considered taking such an option themselves, but not wanting to be left out of one of the magical world's greatest points in history was considered a fine excuse. They, like all the others, received applause for their efforts.

With all the ideas now presented, the panel of guests met with the Huntmaster to determine who would be crowned as the winners of the Hunt. It took the panel well over half an hour to eventually come to a decision, but they eventually retook their seats, save for Minister Bones, who stepped to the front of the presentation area.

"I speak for many when I express my congratulations to all of you for making it here, and my thanks for giving us some ideas as to how you see the world of the future. Director Weasley has already begun planning how to use some of the more creative ideas together, and you might have influenced a few more inner workings of the Ministry than you may realize with your brilliance. I know of at least one of you who has a personal visit coming from Mr. Croaker over there, but I'll not spoil that for you right now.

And while it has been a long journey from the start to this point, only one team can be given the trophy and have their names added to the long list of past winners. So, without further adieu, I present to you the winners of the one hundred and forty-first Hogwarts Hunt… Dean Thomas and Millicent Bulstrode!"

The Huntmaster handed the trophy over to the winning team before dropping his hood and shaking both of their hands. "Well done, Mr. Thomas! Well done, Miss Bulstrode!" said Professor Flitwick joyfully.

Their fellow competitors soon followed suit, shaking hands with the winners before giving way to a photographer from the Daily Prophet, who took a picture of Dean, Millicent, and Minister Bones for the next day's frontpage.

The celebrations continued on late into the night (and for more than just a few teams, those celebrations were close, personal affairs), and when dawn returned to Hogwarts, it found many new beginnings just waiting to move forward.

 _The End_


End file.
